Fuller Seminary Awarded $5 million Grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. for Storytelling Project
Fuller Theological Seminary is pleased to announce it has been awarded a $5 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its National Storytelling Initiative on Christian Faith and Life. The grant will fund a new project that addresses the polarization and politicization that both divide the church from within and the church with our neighbors, with a particular aim of capturing the imagination of disaffected and deconverted audiences, especially among Millennials and Gen Z.
Fuller is one of 13 organizations from across the United States receiving grants through the initiative. The group includes media organizations, denominational judicatories, church networks, publishers, educational institutions, congregations and other nonprofit charitable organizations.
The seminary project team will produce and distribute a series of compelling stories in which seemingly irreconcilable differences—whether religious, political, socioeconomic, or racial—become not merely obstacles to be overcome but catalysts for renewal and transformation. The stories will be centered on Christians and their communities engaged in such work around the United States, and they will be sourced from Fuller’s extensive networks and beyond, delivering a diverse and representative collection of narratives that embody the joyful, hopeful, and transformative message of the kingdom of God.
“This initiative embodies our commitment to sharing the Gospel’s transformative power in a divided world,” said Fuller Seminary President David Emmanuel Goatley. “By highlighting stories of imagination and impact, we can inspire hopefulness and collaboration across diverse communities.”
The storytelling campaign, which will span four years, will include short-form documentary films, podcast series, and collections of articles and written vignettes that capture real-life stories of individuals and communities experiencing renewal through unexpected connections and transformative conflicts. These inspiring stories will highlight vibrant Christian faith at work amidst our broader society’s need for renewed hope and joy today.
The aim of Lilly Endowment’s National Storytelling Initiative on Christian Faith and Life is to help organizations identify, produce and share with a wide variety of audiences compelling stories that portray the vibrancy and hope of Christian faith and life.
ABOUT FULLER SEMINARY
Fuller Seminary is one of the largest nondenominational seminaries in the world, with a global enrollment of more than 2,600 students in its master’s and doctoral programs. Fuller students may take classes through the seminary’s learning communities online, in person at our campuses in Pasadena, Houston, and Phoenix, or through a hybrid of these.
ABOUT LILLY ENDOWMENT
Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based, private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and sons J.K. Jr. and Eli through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of the Endowment, the Endowment is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion and maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana.